MEET PATTY, PhD student & Chancellor's Fellow

L. Patty Flores, MSW, ASW is a researcher, speaker, consultant, and advocate whose work focuses on youth mental health and the systems that shape young people’s lives. She is currently a doctoral student and chancellor's fellow at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), where her research explores lived experience, trauma, and the impact of institutions such as foster care, the juvenile legal system, and education. Patty’s perspective is informed by her lived experience navigating multiple systems as an immigrant, LGBTQ+ individual, former foster youth, and someone who experienced homelessness and involvement in the juvenile justice system. Born in Central America, she migrated to the United States at the age of nine and spent much of her adolescence in foster care. During this time, she faced significant challenges, including periods of incarceration as a youth. Despite these obstacles, Patty pursued her education and ultimately graduated from high school and enrolled in college while incarcerated.

She later earned an A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences and an A.S. in Administration of Justice from Pierce College, a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Smith College. Through her work, Patty seeks to elevate the voices and experiences of youth navigating complex systems and to contribute to research, policy, and practices that better support young people.

Patty has been interviewed multiple times by public radio (KPCC) and television news outlets. She has served as a panelist and keynote speaker for organizations including the Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Los Angeles County Probation Department, California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and universities. She has presented to diverse audiences including administrators, professors, counselors, attorneys, judges, and probation officers—including the Chief of Probation and the presiding judge of juvenile court.